This invention relates to cooking devices, in general, and, more particularly, to cooking devices, e.g., braising pans, including a lid which is particularly adapted to the food service industry.
The food service industry involves the preparation of substantial quantities of food for consumption by a large number of people. In my U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,531, which is assigned to the same assignee as this invention and whose disclosure is incorporated by reference herein, there is disclosed a multi-functional cooking device for the food service industry. That multifunction cooking device overcomes many of the disadvantages of the prior art individual cooking devices, rendering it particularly suitable for use in restaurants, cafeterias, hospitals, schools, colleges, prisons, airports, etc. The device of that patent combines a steamer, skillet, griddle, fryer, kettle, holding cabinet and oven into a single unit. That unit has a hollow base and a hollow lid. The base and the lid mate to provide an enclosed space for heating food. Heating means are associated with the base, to heat the interior space. Means are provided for lifting the lid relative to the base, and for maintaining the lid at a set position relative to the base. The base is adapted to receive water, so that when it is heated, steam will be formed in the space enclosed by the lid and base. The lower edge of the lid is recessed, and receives in the recess the upper edge of the base, whereby the mating of the two edges provides a junction to maintain steam within the space formed by the lid and base. A mechanism is provided for tilting the base at a predetermined angle, to facilitate the use of the base for grilling or frying foods.
The current state of the art of lids for commercial braising pans (also known as tilting frypans or skillets) is that such lids are typically manufactured from a flat piece of sheet metal folded with no more than a 1-inch apron, welded at the corners. The resulting construction is flimsy, with poor rigidity and frequently will not lie flat on the pan. Typically a handle is attached across the front of the lid to add some stiffening and be used to raise the lid. Notwithstanding the presence of such handles, the generally flimsy nature of the prior art lids allows some twisting to take place from the front across the lid. This twisting action can prove hazardous, since steam may leak out of the lid when the handle is grasped and raised, whereupon the person operating the cooking device may have his/her hand and/or arm burned by the leaking steam.
The prior art lids also frequently make use of a condensate drip shield so that condensation which would tend to run down the lid as it is lifted up is redirected back into the pan. Such shields are typically mechanically fastened or welded to the lid. This arrangement creates a food "trap" where pathogens may collect and makes cleaning more difficult (e.g., the mechanically fastened drip shields must be removed for cleaning). A steam vent also may be included on the lid to allow excess steam to escape when boiling vigorously in the unit. If a vent is not included or the vent is not opened, the steam tends to escape around the complete perimeter of the lid, condense on the cooler metal of the lid's apron and drip to the floor. The wet floor creates a significant slip hazard.
Examples of prior art lids for commercial cooking devices are shown in the following literature: Crown Food Service Equipment Ltd., Model GTS-30 and GTS-40 Gas Tilting Skillet, Crown Food Service Equipment Ltd., Model ELTS-30 and ELTS-40 Electric Tilting Skillet; Vulcan-Hart Co., Model E30TB and E40TB Braising Pans; Market Forge Industries, Inc., Models 30-STEM, 40-STEM, 30-STEL, and 40-STEL UniVerse Tilting Skillets, Market Forge Industries, Inc., Models 30-STGM, 40-STGM, 30-STGL and 40-STGL UniVerse Tilting Skillets; Groen (a Dover Industries company) Model CFPC/2 Braising Pan, Groen (a Dover Industries company) Model HFP/2 Braising Pan, Groen (a Dover Industries company) Model FPC/2 Braising Pan; Cleveland Range, Inc. Models SGL-30-T, SGL-40-T, SGM-30-T and SGM-40-T Gas Tilting Open Base and Modular Skillets, Cleveland Range, Inc. Models SEL-30-T, SEL-40-T, SEM-30-T and SEM-40-T Electric Tilting Open Base and Modular Skillets; Southbend (a Middleby company) Models BEMTS-30 and BEMTS-40 Braising Pans, Southbend (a Middleby company) Models BGMTS-30 and BGMTS-40 Braising Pans, Southbend (a Middleby company) Models BECT-24, BECT-30, and BECT-40 Braising Pans; and Legion Industries, Inc., the assignee of the subject invention, Model TES Tilting Braising Pan, and Legion Industries, Inc. Model TGSM/TGSE Tilting Braising Pan.
In view of the above a need presently exists for a lid for a cooking device and for a cooking device including a lid which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.